About this book

Book Summary

The captivating prequel to the treasured Grantchester series follows the life, loves, and losses of young Sidney Chambers in postwar London.

It is 1938, and eighteen-year-old Sidney Chambers is dancing the quickstep with Amanda Kendall at her brother Robert's birthday party at the Caledonian Club. No one can believe, on this golden evening, that there could ever be another war.

Returning to London seven years later, Sidney has gained a Military Cross and lost his best friend on the battlefields of Italy. The carefree youth that he and his friends were promised has been blown apart, just like the rest of the world - and Sidney, carrying a terrible, secret guilt, must decide what to do with the rest of his life. But he has heard a call: constant, though quiet, and growing ever more persistent. To the incredulity of his family and the derision of his friends - the irrepressible actor Freddie and the beautiful, vivacious Amanda - Sidney must now negotiate his path to God: the course of which, much like true love, never runs smooth.

The Road to Grantchester will delight new and old fans alike and finally tell the touching, engaging, and surprising origin story of the Grantchester Mysteries' beloved archdeacon.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Exceptional… fans of Runcie's sophisticated mixing of whodunit plots with explorations of the human psyche in prior entries will relish getting a fuller picture of Sidney's path toward a life in the church." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Fans of the books...and the popular PBS series will find very little mystery but much to delight them in this often moving look at how life's difficult decisions are made." - Kirkus Reviews

"Series fans will know what Chambers' future holds, but that in no way diminishes the pleasure of this prequel, which lays the groundwork for his life of faith and shows his wartime experience aiding in his detecting avocation. A must for fans and a good starting point for others." - Booklist

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Author Information

James Runcie Author Biography

James Runcie is an award-winning film-maker and the author of four standalone novels and the series of seven Granchester Mysteries (the first of which was published in 2012), including a prequel published in 2019. The books are the basis of The Granchester Mysteries, produced by ITV, and broadcast in the USA on PBS. Season 4 aired in 2019.

He is the son of Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991. He lives in London and Edinburgh.